7+ Best Podcast Software and Tools to Record, Edit & Publish Podcasts

Podcasts are living their best time these days. As the work from home economy is on the rise, it’s an appreciable decision if you’ve decided to start your own podcast. Besides, you can monetize your podcast to earn some hard cash too. We’ve researched the best podcast software for recording and editing podcasts. We looked into some of the best podcast publishing tools too. Let’s find out!

So how to make a podcast? The answer is simple – record, edit & upload. Even, you can use Skype calls to record podcast content! But wait, it may not be that easy for you to get started without any guidance. 

To make your journey better, we researched the best podcast recording & editing software. We looked upon some podcast publishing tools too.

Let’s talk podcast then!

Best Podcast Software for You

With so many options out there, it’s expected to be lost when you’re searching for a program that can record & edit podcasts. Worry not, we got you covered to find the best podcast software. We’ve arranged the 5 best software that can record & edit your podcast. We’ve also talked about their perks & problems so that you can make the decision on your own.

Let’s dive into the list.        

Audacity

Audacity is one of the most popular free audio recording and editing applications on the market. It is the most widely known audio editor out there. You’ll feel like it’s designed for podcasts. You can tell it the best podcast software for recording and editing the clips. Although it does a lot more than just podcasts! Music production, for example.

It is easy-to-use and has cross-platform support too. Audacity is a powerful audio recorder & editor for both beginners & professionals.

Being open-source software, there are plenty of people to update its functionality to the best possible limit. It’s available on all major platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux & more. As it’s available on every major platform out there, you can simultaneously keep working on your project without any hassle. 

You can record, export, import audio; edit audio, add effects, tune through plugins & even analyze voice to get a better result using Audacity. To record & edit podcasts, you won’t need expensive gear or DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) if you can make full use of Audacity. Here goes a bunch of primary features that Audacity has –

• High-quality sound support (16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit)
• Multiple audio file format support
• Easy audio editing options
• Sync lock

Key Features

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Audacity works better when you make full use of your typing keyboard. It offers shortcuts for almost everything to make your podcast recording & editing experience better.
• Special Effects: You can add effects using Audacity, which doesn’t sound very unique to have. But what is unique is Audacity provides a real-time preview when you put effects on any of your audio tracks. Audacity supports LADSPA, LV2, VST, and Audio Unit (macOS) effects.   

Pros

• Audacity is open-source software, which means it’s completely free.
• It has easy functionalities that anyone can understand. So, a low learning curve.
• It supports every kind of media file format.
• You can record live using a microphone, or even through a mixer rack.
• Rich software options.
• Basic editings are easiest on Audacity.

Pricing

The best part about Audacity is it’s completely free. It has an awesome developer team that makes sure to never look or feel the software outdated. Download Audacity here.

Adobe Audition

Adobe has solutions for almost all of the media problems. Podcasts are no different. We are talking about Adobe Audition, the podcast editing software here. It is one of the best podcast software. It’s a feature-rich software, where you can record & edit your podcast easily.

There are so many features in it that you won’t even be able to make use of all of them.

Obviously, multiple sound input is there to make your life easier while recording. More features like individual EQ, processing treatment and gain levels are also there to lessen up your stress while trying to make your podcast stand out.

Adobe Audition is a multipurpose audio editor. You can make use of it on your other side projects too. 

Adobe Audition can open Premiere Pro projects as well. That means you can go through native Premiere Pro projects from the Audition Media Browser and select the sequences you want to work on for a simpler, more efficient media editing workflow.     

Key Features

• Loudness Matching: With Adobe Audition, you can keep the loudness level consistent throughout the whole podcast. 
• Multitrack Support: You can playback over 128 audio tracks or record over 32 tracks, at low latencies.
• Spectral Analysis and Noise Reduction: This feature removes unnecessary sounds by analyzing the podcaster’s voice. You can reduce or remove reverb and background noise from recordings without noise prints or complicated parameters with these efficient real-time effects or through the Essential Sound panel.
• Envelopes: Drawing envelopes is easy with Adobe Audition. So inserting envelopes like fading in or fading out is a few clicks away.
• Creative Cloud: The best thing about Adobe’s software is Adobe Creative Cloud integration. With Audition, you can store periodic backups of your session files to prevent any loss due to power failure, crash, or file corruption.              

Pros

• The multi-track view helps mix every track differently.
• More than 50 available effects.
• Adobe Audio Essential Sound helps add music, SFX, dialogue, and even ambiance voice. 
• Restoring audio is easy.  

Pricing

With that many features, it’s a no-brainer that it won’t be a piece of free software. Luckily you can try for 7 days as a trial before buying it. There is a “Business Class” plan which costs $20 per month. If you’re not low on budget, then Adobe Audition should be your go-to podcast recording & editing software. Download Adobe Audition here.

Garageband

Garageband is free software from Apple which comes with every Mac & iPad. It has an iPhone version as well. If you can make full use of it, this free software can gift you a pro-sounding podcast. We had to keep it in our best podcast software list!

Our main goal is to edit a podcast, but don’t get confused with the “band” tag with it. It’s great for anyone who owns Apple products and wants to remain in the knot.

Garageband lets you easily create separate tracks for intros, outros, music, and ad spots. Moreover, you can enable several plugins for each track, including noise gates, EQ, and compression. There are shape-shifting controls that let you adjust the sound level of individual tracks and move them anywhere you want. With this much features available in your hand, you can go in any direction of your likeliness while recording or editing your podcast.

Pros

• Built-in audio filters that use the AU (audio unit) standard allowing the users to enhance the audio track with various effects, including reverb, echo, and distortion amongst others.
• Easy control over EQ, mix compression and limiting to help get average levels at a higher point.
• Ability to record at both 16-bit and 24-bit audio channels.
• You can create music too.
• Cross-platform support makes it easy to work through multiple devices.
• Decent, professional interface.

Cons

• No mixing console view.

Pricing

As said before, Garageband is a fully free audio editor & music maker software from Apple. It’s available on both Macs. iPads, iPhones. Get Garageband here.

Logic Pro

Logic Pro is a premium audio editing solution from Apple. It is a full-featured audio recording and music creation software that can ensure a high-quality output by operating the right way. It shares similarities with Garageband, as both are Apple products. If you have used Garageband for recording & editing your podcast, then Logic Pro will be an easy one to start playing with.

Equalizing sound is one of the best areas of advantages for Logic Pro. It features a rich EQ interface & provides visual data as well. Logic Pro has a Remix Effect plugin that comes in handy while modulating the voice, filtering audio, adding effects to audio, etc. The Remix Fx adds transitions & effects to provide a unique flavor to your podcast.

Key Features

• Logic Remote: This function lets you easily control features, including Remix FX, Live Loops, and more, from iPad or iPhone. Supports multi-touch gestures.
• Recording: Seamless recording ability that supports 24-bit 192kHz audio.
• Cross-device mixing: You can mix your sound from pretty much any device like a smartphone, desktop, and even tablet.
• Live Loop: This feature lets you create and arrange podcasts and music in real-time.

Pros

• Easy sharing features via AirDrop.
• The ‘Flex Time’ feature manipulates the tempo and timing of the recording.
• Easy select & drag features. It helped the app to make it to our best podcast software list.
• Rich EQs, dynamics processors, and other premium production effects.

Pricing

The Pro version of Logic Pro costs a one-time fee of $200. However, you get the option to check out the product before purchasing it. Get Logic Pro here.

Descript

Descript is a different choice in this best podcast software list. It was started as a transcription software and ended up being a podcast editor that anyone can use without having any experience. As you can guess, the whole audio recording & editing experience is based on text editing. Using Descript, you can record podcasts straight from the transcript.           

Features

We’ve talked about Descript being a unique software. But what makes it unique? Well, there is no other software on the planet that can record audio or visual podcasts and can work with show notes. Descript streamlines the editing process by combining the audio, transcription, and editing into a single workflow.

Descript has a pretty good integration system with Zoom. You can connect Descript & Zoom, integrate the microphone, and record your podcast inside Descript. It also lets you transcribe Zoom video calls.

You can edit audio recordings directly from transcription. Descript is an AI-blessed software too. It can synchronize the transcript with the audio, finds filler words, highlights them, and allows you to eliminate them from the transcript AND the audio or video with one click using in-built AI. Just like other audio editors, you can add music & sound effects as well using Descript. 

There is a fun little feature on Descript. They called it AI overdub. It lets you record a sample of your voice and fix any area of your podcast without having to re-record a voice-over.

Pricing

You can transcribe up to three hours of audio or visual content for FREE. In the meantime, you would be able to understand the value of the software & decide whether it fits your workflow or not. After hitting the free plan limit, you can upgrade to a monthly plan which costs $15 or you can get the annual plan that lessens the monthly cost to $12.

This plan provides you the freedom to record ten hours of content each month. If that’s not enough for you, there is a $24 monthly plan to satisfy your needs. Get Descript here.

Best Podcast Publishing Tools

Once you’ve recorded & edited your podcast, it’s time to get them online. Let’s have a look at some of the best tools that will help you throughout the publishing process.

Anchor.fm

You may have heard of Spotify, the podcast & music streaming platform. Anchor.fm is the ultimate podcast recording & publishing solution from Spotify itself. It’s so simple that you can raise your voice & let the world hear even using your smartphone.

Anchor.fm enables the way of recording, editing & publishing podcasts right from your smartphone.

Anchor offers Episode Builder that provides an easy option to manage your podcast episodes. You can add transition, effects & even listener’s voices to make your podcast sound more engaging. You can also rearrange your segments as you wish. The best part of Anchor.fm is it provides a podcast hosting solution without any cost.  

Key Features

• Audio Editing Tools: You can edit recorded or uploaded audio right on your iOS & Android devices. You can also do it from the website using your computer too.
• Creation Tools: You can add music from Apple Music & Spotify into your podcast. Anchor.fm has a rich library of background music, transition effects. To provide additional music to your podcast, you won’t have to rush. 
• Podcast with Guests: Guests to co-host can join your podcast via invitation. This way, multiple podcasters can take part in a single podcast to enrich the listening experience. 

Pros

• Free & Easy podcast distribution to every major platform including Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.
• The monetizing option within the app makes it easy for podcasters to make money out of their work.
• Rich analytics with an intuitive dashboard helps podcasters to understand the audience better.
• Distributing podcasts through an RSS feed option is also available if Anchor’s hosting system doesn’t sound convincing to you.

Pricing

Anchor.fm provides a full free service for all users. Now you know, there are many reasons to keep it in our best podcast software list. It’s a great tool indeed!

Buzzsprout

Buzzsprout is a podcast hosting tool. You can create, host & even promote your podcast using Buzzsprout. Moreover, you’ll get analytics regarding your podcast performance regularly. Buzzsprout can be called a one-stop home for all podcast related stuff.

The best thing about Buzzsprout is you can promote your podcast via this, which enables you to reach more listeners easily & in a short time. This opportunity can be a big form factor for anyone who’s started building a podcast career from scratch. 

Buzzsprout supports all the major podcast platforms such as – Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Alexa, iHeartRadio. Buzzsprout also lets you monetize your podcast. Buzzsprout has partnered with many brands to help you get started on making money from your podcast. It’s a SaaS tool and we picked it in our best podcast software list.

Key Features

• Mastering Audio: Buzzsprout uses advanced technology to master your uploaded audio & makes sure to keep it up with industry standards.
• Transcription: You can reach disabled users too by using the transcription feature, plus you’ll get search engine leverage.
• Automatic Optimization: Buzzsprout optimizes your podcast automatically by working on technical aspects like ID3, bit rate, audio & even file type. 

Pros

• Makes it easy for podcasters to connect using Buzzsprout API.
• Listeners can easily navigate & get a better podcast experience using the “Chapter Markers” feature.
• You can create your own website using custom domain & functionalities via Buzzsprout. 
• Rich analytics provides various statistics per demographics, regions, and so on.

Pricing

Buzzsprout offers a 90-day of free trial that lets you upload two hours of podcast per month. Besides, Buzzsprout is offering some pretty good paid plans too. All features such as unlimited storage, podcast import, unlimited team members, and advanced stats are available with all plans.

However, upload hours vary depending on how much you pay. There are three paid plan available –

1. Standard: $12 per month.
2. Business: $18 per month.
3. Enterprise: 24 per month.

FuseBox

If you’re someone who appreciates a unique take on problem-solving parts, then FuseBox is absolutely your cup of tea. FuseBox is a powerhouse for anyone who’s looking for podcast players & editors for their website.

You can use FuseBox to put three kinds of podcast players on your website –full player, single-track player, and side-wide sticky player. So you have plenty of opportunities to increase the user engagement rate. You can also keep track of how your podcast is performing. 

With FuseBox, you can binge listen to podcasts. You can also drive leads to mail & boost the impression rate. There is a transcript feature too for making your podcast accessible. FuseBox offers features like speed control, email capture, custom colors, Mobile-friendliness, social sharing, and more to enrich your podcasting experience.

Key Features

• Mobile friendly: FuseBox makes your podcast adaptive for all screen sizes including smartphones.
• Transcript: Transcripts are awesome for podcasts. It makes your podcast SEO-friendly & also increases your audience by making it listenable for everyone.
• Sharing & Download: Users get the option to share their favorite episode to social networks. They also have the benefit of offline listening by downloading podcasts. Overall, it made its way to our best podcast software and tool list.

Pros

• You can adjust the player color to make it look your brand inspired. 
• Adding text & URL to your podcast description is possible. 
• Integrates well with third-party email marketing solutions.
• You can add a sticky player anywhere on your site to appeal the website visitors. 

Pricing

FuseBox has two plans to offer. The free plan comes with the sticky player only. Features like email capture & player customization are not available in the free plan. To get those amazing benefits, you have to get the Business plan which costs $8 per month if you pay the bill as annual fees.

There are many other apps and software for podcast recording and editing. Hindenburg Journalist is one of them. We hope we will update this article with more information in the coming days. In the meantime, find more useful resources for your tech life here.

Which software or tool you like the most? Please share with us in the comments!